The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

22 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: ² “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.^{(A) 3} He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come.^{(B) 4} Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’^{(C) 5} But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, ⁶ while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. ⁷ The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.^{(D) 8} Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy.^{(E) 9} Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ ¹⁰ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad, so the wedding hall was filled with guests.^(F)

¹¹ “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe,^{(G) 12} and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless.^{(H) 13} Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’^{(I) 14} For many are called, but few are chosen.”

The Judgment of the Nations

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.^{(A) 32} All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,^{(B) 33} and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. ³⁴ Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,^{(C) 35} for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,^{(D) 36} I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’^{(E) 37} Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? ³⁸ And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? ³⁹ And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ ⁴⁰ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’^{(F) 41} Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You who are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels,^{(G) 42} for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ ⁴⁴ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of you?’ ⁴⁵ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’^{(H) 46} And these will go away into eternal punishment but the righteous into eternal life.”^(I)